Heartland SHARE rewards volunteers
Did you know that if you volunteer two hours a month you can get discounted food?
Did you know that volunteer service can mean calling a friend who needs a pick-me-up or driving your neighbor to a doctor's appointment?
If it's news to you, then you haven't heard about Heartland SHARE. It's a unique nonprofit organization that rewards volunteering by offering quality food at a deeply discounted price.
According to the brochure, "If you eat, you qualify."
This unusual program isn't run by the government and doesn't have any income guidelines — it's open to everyone, according to June Glasgow, who works for Heartland SHARE. Glasgow lives in Hillsboro and works out of her home as one of three full-time paid employees for the organization's Midwest division.
Heartland SHARE encourages people to volunteer, but it also makes them aware of the other ways they serve others on a daily basis, Glasgow said.
Here's how the program works: Each month, for every two hours of volunteer or service work you do, you can buy $30 to $40 worth of food for $17.50. One "share" always includes five different meat and five fruits and vegetables, Glasgow said.
The menu varies from month to month. February's menu included Canadian bacon, turkey breast, perch, salisbury steaks, chicken drumsticks, lettuce, peppers, cauliflower, apples, oranges, and a box of cookies. Already on tap for March is ground beef, chicken thighs, salmon fillets, and chicken breasts.
Once you've bought the regular "share" you can also choose some extras — such as the March special, which has more meat. That costs $15, and it also requires one more hour of service.
Glasgow emphasized that the program doesn't take away business from local grocery stores. Instead, people take the rest of the money that they would have spent on $40 worth of groceries and spend that locally, she said. Some Kansas grocery stores have even said that their business increases on the day that shares are distributed, because people go shopping for the rest of the items needed to make a meal.
The share food is bought through warehouses and growers. Because it's bought in bulk, Heartland SHARE can pass the savings on to its recipients. The program is funded entirely through participation.
To get started, each month you register with a local SHARE volunteer. In Hillsboro, contact Dawn Unruh (947-0176) or Robin Ediger (947-2363). Registration deadlines vary each month — for example, the deadline to participate for March is Monday.
When you register, you'll receive a volunteering "receipt," which you'll use to record any volunteer work you plan to do that month. You'll return that receipt, filled out, when you pick up your food. Keeping track of volunteer hours is entirely on the honor system.
Also at that time you'll pay a fee for the food you plan to pick up on the delivery date, which is on the third or fourth the last Saturday of the month.
There is no limit to how many shares you can buy, Glasgow said.
Heartland SHARE's delivery point is at the Parkview M.B. Church from noon to 1 p.m., she said. Right now, around 30 to 35 individuals pick up shares from Parkview each month, and that number is growing.
Many more people would participate in the program if they just knew about it, Glasgow said. All ages are involved, from the elderly to young singles.
But what if you don't volunteer? In reality, you probably do volunteer but just don't know about it, she said. Anytime you serve others or show care for others — whether it's singing in the church choir or just calling a housebound friend to chat — that's volunteering.
Heartland SHARE has been operating in Kansas for 12 years, Glasgow said. There are 400 share distribution sites in the state.
For more information about Heartland SHARE, visit www.heartlandshare.com, e-mail June Glasgow at june@heartlandshare.com, or call her at 1-800-932-2028.
